Closing statements

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Everything needs a conclusion right? I mean how many politicians actually read the whole report? But the whole experience and my thoughts on it are difficult due to complexities to summarise succinctly.

My conclusion one liners:
African aid has been going on for over two decades.
Africa is a dump (In my opinion).
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. - Albert Einstein
Aid money from countries, is usually your tax dollars.
Don't stick your nose, where it doesn't belong.
You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
Let Africa fix Africa.
We actually have problems of our own, and if we are not careful we could end up... like them.
But aid still does alleviate the suffering for some individuals.
Yes there is corruption at the top, but ironically it seems to stem from the bottom.
Africa like all nations, has some good people.
Getting rich quick generally comes at a great social price.
Africa needs trade and farming education, before English.

My conclusionary rant
I guess after leaving Africa my biggest concern was protecting my own country from the possibility of ever becoming like Africa. Most people I presented this fear too felt that such a thing could never happen to New Zealand. Which only served to make me more concerned. Just historically speaking such statements of arrogance never seem to end well. I mean isn't this the 'It will never happen to me' syndrome that we are always told to prepare for the day that it does?
One must assume that in my country and even countries like the States and China there must be some good people? Surely they will be asking, 'what then can we do?'. I believe the biggest impact can be had by living, voting and most importantly thinking outside the square in our own countries.
Globalisation and global economics is something pushed by a lot of 'leaders' in the West. This and their systems of finance with Fractional Reserve Banking, Fiat Money Systems. Their insistence of 'Free Trade' when it suits them. (FYI New Zealand recently signed a 'Free Trade' agreement with China. I predict the result of this will be the flow of commodities from NZ into China in return for manufactured goods resulting in an increased net trade deficit propelling us along the road to becoming... like Africa?)
Global Intellectual Property rights protectionism under guise of the WTO.
'Controlled' 'dumping' of goods.
The idea that all problems can be solved by converting apples and oranges to a dollar value and comparing them economically. When at the end of the day apples, under any system, shouldn't be compared to oranges.
If you don't support a war, don't support or encourage your fellow citizens who/to become soldiers (mercenaries).
If you don't support the arms trade, don't invest or allow financiers to invest your money into these companies.
If you don't support the banking system, stop borrowing money (Gassssspppp!, its actually not that hard).
Support your local industries, especially those companies that pay proportionately similar taxes. (You would be surprised at how little some companies pay towards a countries running costs considering business's could be the greatest users of infrastructure. According to John Ralston Saul in The collapse of globalism and the reinvention of the world: "In 2004 The Financial Times looked at the British operations of twenty major non-oil companies with a turnover of almost ₤100 billion. These corporations had managed to organise a total loss of ₤700 million and paid taxes of ₤350 million." That is 0.0035% on turnover?!
Your money, and where and how you choose to spend it will make a much bigger difference, I believe, than you could possibly imagine.

You can't summarise all this effectivly while maintaining an audience who may not be interested in any of above. Thus in conclusion of the conclusion regardless of all my and others mistakes, assumptions etc at least think, question and discuss. Philosophising over a beer with mates is way better than watching TV!

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Photos

Infinity
Question, search, knock, seek, find.